This invention relates to land or amphibious vehicles with articulated legs. Prior art vehicles, especially those adapted for moving over rough or uneven terrain have been proposed. Typically these vehicles employ telescopic legs pivotally secured to a body or segmental legs adapted for limited oscillatory movement in one or more fixed planes. These prior art vehicles are generally subject to the problems of both lack of flexibility of movement of the vehicle per se in several directions such as forward, reverse, banking and rotatable movement; and the inability to control the movement of all legs substantially simultaneously. In this latter situation the legs are not all controlled substantially simultaneously such as when moving over rough terrain, the vehicle moves slowly and awkwardly.
My invention is directed to a vehicle with articulated legs and a method of operating the same, which vehicle can travel over rough terrain at high speeds.
My invention broadly comprises a vehicle and a method of operating the same; which vehicle has a plurality of articulated legs. Each of the legs is adapted to move in a plurality of planes. A level sensor is provided to ascertain the plane of the vehicle in reference to the horizontal. The legs and level sensor communicate both with a control module and a power source.
The power source provides the drive for the movement of the legs and the legs in turn control the movement and plane of the vehicle.
The control module includes a computer with associated interface equipment. The computer is programmed particularly for operation of the vehicle. The computer senses commands such as direction and speed of movement, the present position of the legs, the movements which each of the legs must effect to respond to the direction and speed input signal, and lastly transmits the proper communications to the legs whereby the desired movement is effected.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the legs are pivotally secured to the vehicle at one end and contact the surface at another end. Further the legs are comprised of at least two linkages and the legs are controlled by determining the angular relationship of the linkages in reference to the vertical and the horizontal.
In the preferred embodiment six legs are used; each leg having an upper link and a lower link. The vehicle may move through six basic movements: rotation around a Z-axis, which axis passes vertically through the vehicle; forward or reverse movement along a Y-axis, which axis is perpendicular to the Z-axis; lateral movement along an X-axis which X-axis is perpendicular to both the Y and Z axes; upward and downward movement along the Z-axis; rotary movement about the Y-axis; and rotary movement about the X-axis or any combination thereof.
The legs are moved through an increment or distance delta a (.DELTA.a) with a variable height (h) which in combination with the distance traveled (a+.DELTA.a) allows control of the legs.
At least three basic angles are defined, from which angles the necessary calculations are made: angle A (.angle.A), preferably an acute angle, between the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower links, angle B (.angle.B), preferably an acute angle, between the horizontal plane of the vehicle and the longitudinal axis of the upper link; and angle C (.angle.C), preferably less than 180.degree., between the plane of the vehicle and the plane within which both links like.
The means to sense the plane of the vehicle comprises a gimbal-pendulum arrangement wherein the pitch, roll and/or yawl of the vehicle may be sensed. Each leg is controlled by a computer. The computer reads the desired speed and direction from a control stick and a control wheel. Each actual leg position is read by a sensor which reads angular position, and the level position of the vehicle is read by sensors associated with the gimbal-pendulum arrangement. These control signals and position sense signals are read by the computer and the computer controls the leg movements following the preestablished programs in the computer memory.
The machine can move in any direction, such as in a circle, forward, sideways or at any angle, can turn about its center axis (Z), can turn and move in any plane, and can change its level and can bank while turning.
My invention broadly comprises a vehicle adapted for use on land or sea which includes a housing having a longitudinal axis Y, a transverse axis X, and a vertical axis Z, the axes being mutually perpendicular one to the other. A plurality of articulated legs are secured to and extending downwardly from the housing, the legs each comprising an upper link and a lower link. The upper link is joined to the housing and to the lower link. The longitudinal axes of the links intersect and define an angle A. The longitudinal axis of the upper link is adapted for movement in at least two planes through two angles. A first plane parallel to the Y and Z axes and through an angle B, and a second plane parallel to the X and Z axes and through an angle C. The movement in said planes results in a substantially cone-shaped region. The legs are in communication with a drive means and also with a control means. The legs are responsive to the control means and the drive means to move through at least one of the three angles.